ASU professor slammed to ground by officer during arrest for jaywalking
theGRIO REPORT - An Arizona State University professor was arrested last month for jaywalking - and once campus police arrived, things quickly escalated.
An Arizona State University professor was arrested  last month for jaywalking — and once campus police arrived, things quickly escalated.
According to ASU police, Ersula Ore — an English professor at the university — was arrested for walking in the middle of a street near the school’s campus on May 20. She was approached by a campus police officer who said she was jaywalking and refused to provide ID, while Ore claims she was walking in the middle of the street to avoid the surrounding construction.
The situation quickly escalated after she said campus police placed her in handcuffs and used excessive force by throwing her to the ground. Following the arrest, she kicked the officer in the shin and was also charged with aggravated assault, reports the Associated Press.
A part of the exchange is captured on a dash cam recording that was released on Friday, showing officers forcing her to the pavement.
“Let me see your ID or you will be arrested for failing to provide ID,” the officer is heard saying the video, to which Ore responds:Â “Are you serious?”
The officer then says, “Yes, I am serious. That is the law. If you don’t understand the law, I’m explaining it to you.”
Ore says: “I have no problem abiding by the law, but all I’m asking, do you have to speak to me in such a disrespectful manner?”
The ASU officer says Ore repeatedly refused to follow orders — but as he attempts to place her in handcuffs, he is captured on camera throwing Ore to the ground. In doing so, the dress Ore wore left her exposed, and her defense attorney claims the officer was “reaching towards her anatomy.”
Now, Ore faces charges of assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest, failing to provide ID and obstructing a public thoroughfare.
However, Ore’s defense attorney, Alane M. Roby, said she accused the officer of escalating the situation and that Ore has claimed self-defense.
“Professor Ore’s one crime that evening was to demand respect that she deserves as a productive, educated and tax paying member of society,” Roby said in a statement to CNN.
Meanwhile, the news site said the university has released a statement saying “no evidence of inappropriate actions by the ASUPD officers involved.”
Ore appeared on CNN’s New Day Monday morning to discuss the incident and said:Â “I think I did what I was supposed to do. I was respectful. I asked for clarification. I asked to be treated with respect, and that was it.”
